


Song of the Storm

by crystalline_melody



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, OCs - Freeform, Warrior Cats, WindClan, WindClan as the focus, from a warrior cats server on minecraft hehe, read at your own risk hehe, there are no canon chars i'm sorry, there is a lot of blood though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-01-20 19:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1523441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalline_melody/pseuds/crystalline_melody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In WindClan, Sappystar rules lazily but fairly. Stormysong, a she-cat with more responsibilities than any cat would hope for, is destined to watch her Clan shatter before her when Foxstar murders Sappystar and becomes a tyrant leader. Now, it's her job to put the pieces of her Clan back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One of Many

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work, so I'd appreciate any reviews or critiques on it. I roleplay on a minecraft server called Freezing Life of Frost, and the inspiration and characters came from there. I will say the the roleplay is probably not going to go in the same direction as this story will go, and I hope I'll get at least one chapter a week out. Then again, I'm a lazy crap and probably won't. Sorry. Anyway, here you go!

With a blink, Stormykit opened her wide green eyes.

It was a rather sunny day in WindClan; the grasses around the camp were swaying and the sun filtered through the nursery walls. Many cats bustled in and out of the entrance, taking advantage of the daylight that was slowly running out. Leaf-fall was near, and the distant red-and-gold leaves on the trees told the tale easily. The old medicine cat, Frozenwhisper, was basking on the flat rock outside the medicine den, and the elders weren't complaining for once, relieved from the growing cold.

"Oh, now look! Stormykit's finally opened her eyes. They're green, a lovely color." Willowmist, Stormykit's mother, meowed. "I'll say, she's a bit late. Honeykit's been up and out for a day!"

Just then, a tiny tortoiseshell she-kit tumbled into the nursery, giggling with amusement. She was Honeykit, Stormykit's littermate. "Those other cats are so fun! They taught me how to jump so high!"

This was greeted by a murmur of content from Stormykit. "That's nice.." Stormykit wandered off, looking through the entrance to the den. Then she looked at herself, a white she-kit with many, many black stripes. Willowmist seemed to be the same, while her father, Tawnyclaw, looked like Honeykit. "Wait, can I go out? Honeykit knows how to jump, so I should too!"

Willowmist nodded, closing her blue eyes. "Yes, but be careful. We don't want you to have to come back inside on your first day out, would we?"

"No!" Stormykit grinned, and followed Honeykit out of the nursery. They were hit with a blast of sunlight that was much less present in the nursery. Stormykit cringed a bit before adjusting to the strong rays, and Honeykit waited. Warriors and apprentices shared tongues, as it was sunhigh on a hot day. Few cats now could be seen exiting, and some were eating. Stormykit's leaf-green gaze swept the clearing, taking in the sight of her Clan.

"Cool, isn't it? Come on!" Honeykit mewled, and stumbled toward a bigger looking kit who was practicing with a group of apprentices.

"--I just move my paws like this?" the gray kit asked, looking up to the smallest apprentice. "Yep! Now jump, and put all of your power in your legs!"

Stormykit's head followed the kit as he jumped up and landed back on the sand again. A cloud of dust rose from the spot. "Good job, Fogkit! Keep practicing-- Oh! The new kit's here, how about we teach her, too? What's your name?"

Honeykit answered first. "Her name's Stormykit! She's my sister!" A nudge nearly knocked Stormykit to the ground. "Let's jump!"

The strange apprentice from earlier smiled. "Alright, just place your paws like this, put your power in your legs, and push off!" He demonstrated, leaping a foot or two off the ground. "Good job, Ferretpaw!" A cat who seemed to be Ferretpaw's mentor called to him from where he was eating a rabbit.

Stormykit crouched, breathed, and leaped into the air, achieving a height of a foot before coming back to the sand. "Good!" Ferretpaw meowed, waving his brown tail.

"Ferretpaw! Come on, we have to battle train!" The cat, Ferretpaw's mentor, yowled from across the clearing. He'd finished his prey and stood up, black pelt standing out against the sand.

"Okay, Darkwater! I'll be right there!" Ferretpaw answered, and bounded over to Darkwater. They left camp in deep conversation.

Another kit wandered over, his pelt black as night, with wing marks on his back. "H-Hello.." he nodded at Stormykit.

"Is this your first time out of camp?" He was answered by a timid nod from Stormykit. "Oh, okay. Welcome to WindClan, I guess. I'm Nightkit. I can show you around."

Honeykit nodded. "I'll stay here with these apprentices. You go, Stormykit, it'll be fun!"

Stormykit took a step forward with Nightkit as he started toward the nursery. "This is the nursery, the den you were in before. You've been there for a couple days, until you opened your eyes." She replied with a nod and then glanced toward the warriors' side of the camp.

"Oh, that's the warriors' side. All these bigger cats sleep there. It's typically bigger, for their size and number. Oh, and the apprentices' side is on the opposite end," as he pointed with his tail, "it's smaller. When you reach six moons, you'll move out of the nursery and sleep on the apprentices' side with the rest of them. I'm a moon, five more and I'll be there."

Stormykit nodded with interest. She was learning so much on her first day, but the light was fading from the sky. "I'll continue tomorrow, Stormykit. I'll see you!"

"Good-bye!" Stormykit mewled, and sighed. She took one last glance and the sky, a now-fading purplish pink, with a soft orange hue near the sun. Birds passed overhead, strangely silent, agreeing with the rest of nature to savor the beautiful sunset. The leaves of the thin camp walls were also transforming into leaf-fall oranges and yellows, and the horizon opposite of the sunset glimmered with promise of the moon soon enough.

A smile and a few steps later, Stormykit was back in her nest.

"Did you have fun out there, Stormykit?" Willowmist asked, love in her young eyes. "Yeah, they taught me how to jump, and Nightkit started to give me a tour of the camp," Stormykit giggled, "it was fun."

"That's good, Stormykit. Fun is good." 

With that, Stormykit's eyelids drooped to a close, and she gave in to a drowsy sleep.

 


	2. Droplets From the Skies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter! Enjoy! :D

The next day, Stormykit's eyes shot open in excitement. Nightkit hadn't woken yet, but Willowmist and Honeykit had, and their mother was giving Honeykit a bath. "You've got so much sand in your fur! That'll do no good for your pelt, and your skin'll itch for days! Are you playing too much in that sand?"

Honeykit pouted. "No, all I was doing was jumping! All it does is put a little cloud of sand in the air, I swear there wasn't this much! And I didn't tri-" Willowmist put her tail to her kit's mouth. "Don't pout. I'll fix it up. Oh, Stormykit! You're awake! How did you sleep?"

"I slept well, thank you mother." She'd heard the polite gesture the day before. "I'm going to go out and watch the cats."

"Not before I wash you! Come here." Willowmist beckoned with her tail and began to wash Stormykit's head. As Willowmist did so, Stormykit's mind wandered. The morning sky outside was a deep blue, much colder than the day before, and the sun was muffled by wandering clouds. The day promised rain later on, so she'd have to stay in the nursery. No birds or other creatures were out in the sky, and Stormykit couldn't blame them. It looked gloomy.

"There. Now you can go play." Willowmist dismissed her and Stormykit went to wake Nightkit. "We still have to finish the tour...!" Nightkit jumped up, scared by the sudden loud voice in his ear, and then calmed down. "Okay, come with me." Nightkit gestured with his front paw and padded out to meet the morning.

"See that cave over there? That's the rain den," he paused, "do you know what it's for?"

"Is it for when it rains? I've heard rain before.." Nightkit nodded. "Yeah, the warriors and apprentices sleep in there when it rains. It gets kind of crowded sometimes, I've heard them arguing over nests and batting at each other through the night." He giggled.

"Do you see that big ledge above the nursery?" Stormykit nodded once. "That's the Highledge," Nightkit said, "it's where the leader stands when they call a meeting."

"Leader?"

"Sappystar. She's a good leader, but doesn't do much. She runs the Clan, and gives ceremonies to those who need them. Sometimes StarClan talks to her." Nightkit cleared his throat, obviously running out of breath. "Anyway, Sappystar's den is just up there, in the cliff next to the Highledge. She and her mate sleep there."

Stormykit sighed. This was a lot to take in at once, and her tiny legs trembled at the thought of having to climb that cliff somday in the future. "Oh, and over here is the elders' den. They're the old cats who have retired from their warrior duties." He leaned in and whispered, "They're all a bit cranky, too. I wouldn't blame them, after all they've done."

Smiling, Stormykit gestured with her tail to another strange den that the wind blew from. It smelled like many kinds of plants, contrasting with sweet and bitter scents.

"Oh, that's the medicine cat den. They heal the cats of the Clan with herbs, plants, and they also speak to StarClan. I thi-" Nightkit was interrupted by a huge raindrop splashing on his nose, and he spluttered and yelped. "Rain! We have to go back to the nursery now. That was pretty much it, though."

Stormykit nodded. "Thank you. I'll probably need it.."

With that, they turned toward the nursery and entered it, their pelts dotted with droplets of water from the skies. "Willowmist, it's raining!"

Honeykit's pelt shone as she looked out to see the rain. "It looks so cool! But so wet..."

Willowmist sighed. "Well, I might as well explain some things as we're stuck in here with the rain and all. I'll tell you about StarClan."

"StarClan?" Stormykit and Honeykit said in unison, and then they looked at each other with a grin. "Yes, StarClan."

"StarClan is the Clan of our warrior ancestors who have lost their lives. All the Clans have warrior ancestors in StarClan, and they all get along, regardless of birth Clan." Willowmist took a breath. Stormykit and Honeykit had already heard Nightkit's mother tell of the four Clans. "Medicine cats speak with StarClan. They interpret signs they see every day, and StarClan guides them on how they should deal with the Clan's problems. Leaders also might do this. Sometimes, there will be a prophecy, where the cats involved must fulfill the prophecy or else something will happen that isn't as good as peace."

"Signs can warn a Clan of coming horror, or tell the Clan they are doing things right. StarClan can give a sign for almost any reason." Willowmist finished.

"Woah..." Honeykit wondered. "What if StarClan tells us something?"

"There's a slim chance, Honeykit. But it might happen someday." Willowmist yawned, lulled by the sound of raindrops on sand.

Stormykit blinked up at her mother. Her eyes wanted to be closed, but she silently fought the urge to sleep.

Eventually, she gave in to the darkness and the continuous sound of soft rain.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stormykit opened her green eyes 3 moons later. By now she knew a lot about the Clans, as Ferretpaw (now Ferrethawk) had taught her. Ferrethawk had grown to be one of Stormykit's best friends, and she looked up to him like an apprentice would to a mentor they adored. Nightkit had also become her friend, but Honeykit had just distanced. It seemed like Honeykit was always friends with someone else. Stormykit didn't mind, though; let Honeykit befriend who she wants.

The cold and gloomy morning was slow and uneventful. A warrior and her apprentice went out hunting but came back with nothing, and they seemed upset about it. Every cat was starving, and the water had frozen up except for the small pond in the medicine cat den.

Stormykit kneaded the hard sand with her paws, the nursery growing crowded with the bigger kits. Nightkit wriggled a lot, and Honeykit was loud. She sighed, her thoughts wandering to Sappystar.

Sappystar had been very ill for the past couple moons, and Foxtrot, the deputy, has taken over her duties until she is well. Suspicion was growing about the ambitious deputy, though, that he had been the one to make Sappystar so ill. She suspected he was just trying to teach himself how to be leader for when the time came, but Stormykit had a hunch that that wasn't it.

"It's so cold..." Honeykit murmured in her sleep. With an annoyed glance at Honeykit, Stormykit stuck a paw out onto the darkened, shadowed sand. Snow was beginning to fall, and she'd seen it often before. It was leaf-bare, the camp was open and seemingly deserted. Any Clan wanting to invade could easily do so and win. But this particular leaf-bare was harsh, the elders and warriors mentioned over and over, and every Clan wanted to preserve their energy for hunting.

Stormykit considered going back to sleep, as no one was about and it was a sluggish day. Deciding to sleep, she curled up in her nest, back to the entrance, and closed her eyes.

 

A wail, cut off in the middle, echoed off the distant hills of WindClan's territory.


	3. Thaw of the Frozen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up today and wrote this. Enjoy!

The frozen silence that had seemed to taint the camp before was broken by chaos.

Cats from everywhere heard the bloodcurdling screech and came to see what was wrong. After a bit of indecision, the leader's den was where the wail came from, and so nearly every cat crowded into the small resting place.

"Calm down! Calm down! Stay out of the den!" Foxtrot yowled, trying to keep the struggling warriors at bay. His eyes seemed to be guarded, as if he'd done something and wanted to hide it. "I'll get to the bottom of this! Calm down!"

Obviously, WindClan didn't calm down.

"Was that Sappystar?"

"Did some cat die?"

"What was the source of that horrible noise?!"

Calls from outside the den poured into Foxtrot's ears. He unsheathed his claws. "I want the senior warriors in here. No more cats! Go hunt, form patrols of four! Go!"

This time WindClan obeyed, slowly parting from the crowd, and four by four, patrols left to hunt. The evening was approaching, and the kits in the nursery huddled together for warmth. Willowmist wrapped her tail around her two kits, and Nightkit's mother did the same to him. Honeykit had fallen asleep despite the chaos outside of the den, but Stormykit was wide awake. Her mind raced with possibilities for the wail, if a cat had died, who died, who killed them...

Sappystar. Sappystar was dead. Stormykit's eyes flew open with the thought, since all the noise had been coming from the leader's den and Foxtrot had been the one yelling about it. Her theories about Foxtrot could be true...

Right now wasn't the time, however. Right now, she needed to decide what she would do about it. Stormykit would have to be choosy, since she was only 3 moons old and no sensible warrior would listen to a kit.

She'd think later. Stormykit rose from the nest despite a complaint from Willowmist and padded out to meet the chilly weather. The sky was a frosty blue against the bare branches of distant trees. Sneaking out of camp was prohibited, so nothing she would do out there would be enough to measure up to the consequences. Finally, Stormykit decided on the clearing of small graves on a hill above the Highledge and Sappystar's den.

This place was always silent, a place of mourning and grief for those who have died. She picked a corner near the grave of a dead leader, Owlstar, that was right above the leader's den as well as isolated from many other graves.

A muffled voice from the leader's den could be heard through the thin stone. "Why is Sappystar dead? These clawmarks suggest murder, but it could have been a suicide." Darkwater's tone was solemn.

"Either way, Foxtrot is leader now. That was her last life."

_What?_   Stormykit's leaf-green eyes widened. Her ears must have been lying to her. All her life, Sappystar had been in a lazy but fair rule, and now... Foxtrot couldn't...

"Yeah, Foxtrot's leader now. But we will hold a vigil for Sappystar. She deserves it, after her good rule." Darkwater meowed.

"I won't forget her when I'm leader. I will cherish her rule, and try to continue it with my best efforts." Foxtrot. His gruff voice seemed to echo around the small den.

Having heard enough, Stormykit stood and climbed back down the the middle of camp with trembling legs. Hoping no cat had seen her, she stumbled back into the nursery.

"Why'd you leave, Stormykit?" Willowmist sounded concerned. Stormykit didn't blame her. "I just needed to stretch my legs. It's crowded in here."

Willowmist nodded. "Come lay down, we don't want you to freeze, do we?"

A sigh from Stormykit signaled she was annoyed, but Willowmist didn't care. Stormykit placed herself next to Honeykit and curled up, letting Willowmist's tail wrap around her frail body. Stormykit gave in to uncomfortable sleep.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Frozenwhisper padded out of camp, needing more herbs. The sick cat number was increasing, slowly but surely. She knew she'd need an apprentice soon, and she also knew that StarClan would eventually show her who. Every bit of any plant found was treasured and tended to.

It had been two moons since Sappystar's murder. Foxstar had been given nine lives and a name from StarClan, and she had witnessed it.

"Someday, StarClan will say..." Frozenwhisper sighed, as she glimpsed a blur of green and bounded toward it. "Juniper."

She collected some parts of the frail plant and headed back to camp, desperate to get the plant warm again. As Frozenwhisper padded toward her den, she looked at the tiny Stormykit, three moons old, standing near the nursery.

Shaking her head, she went into her den and placed the plant in her stores. "I'll need more soon..." She sighed.

Frozenwhisper padded back out, anticipating more herbs, when Stormykit caught her eye again. This time, however, she was not as she was before.

A blue aura surrounded Stormykit, as if a tiny fog cloud had been tinted a frosty crystal color, and her green eyes went well with the glow. Raindrops, tiny drizzling drops of pale water, began to fall onto her. Soon, it grew to a thunderstorm, a whirlwind of rain and clouds that hurt Frozenwhisper's ears. A few other mentors and apprentices went out to hunt without even a glance at Stormykit.

And Frozenwhisper knew, then, that Stormykit was the one. StarClan had finally spoken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it c:  
> (Note: Foxstar's leader ceremony might be made into a bonus chapter later on :O)


	4. Brilliant Shade of Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a bit of writer's block, but I swear I'll get this updated! Enjoy!

"WindClan's medicine cat has finally noticed. Even after all of the times she's caught Stormykit poking around in her den, she's been oblivious to our signs." Sheeppaw mewled,  bold voice echoing. "I've made it so obvious now, that she can't not know."

"Good. We wanna guide her as quickly as we can. We need all've the time we can get." Sappystar's slurred tone rang out in the prey-rich clearing of StarClan's hunting grounds.

A few nods and murmurs from the small crowds of trusted cats were heard. All of them from WindClan, they were gathered to discuss Stormykit and the fate of WindClan.

"Should we tell Stormykit herself as well?" A curious voice made itself heard.

"Not yet," Sappystar sighed, "she mustn't feel like she's part of something so important she can't function without having it as a factor. When the time is right, I will gather all of us again."

With that, all of the cats dipped their heads and broke off to whisper in secluded groups.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Frozenwhisper dreamed that night of StarClan's ranks.

She opened her old, worn eyes to a mass of glimmering, starry cats. They were in several rows, as if some had walked on air to reach their places. Some she recognized, such as Sheeppaw and Sappystar, and some looked like they were faded, from so many moons ago that they had nearly been forgotten. The air around her was crisp, as if leaf-bare had its grip on the calm moor of the territory. The normally green grasses had been tinted brown and tan, and the flowers around her didn't look as strong as they would have been.

"What do you need from me?" Frozenwhisper was used to this, but not something so important the entirety of WindClan's ancestors would come for.

"You have received our sign, and you know what it means." Sappystar's voice, solemn and serious, was heard. Frozenwhisper nodded. "I did. I know that Stormypaw is destined for greatness, and that greatness is that she must become my apprentice. I finally understand." She dipped her head. "I am sorry for selfishly ignoring the previous signs."

"Do not apologize. We have something we must show you."

The scene changed to an expanse of plains full of green, healthy grass. Paws, millions of them, stomping and beating the grass from afar, approached where Frozenwhisper was standing. She felt so small, as if she herself were a blade of grass in this field. A single cat in the front separated from the others in the crowd of paws, a cat with fox markings. Every step he took left a pawmark of red behind, as if his paws were caked with blood so deep and strong there was no option of washing it off. The fox-cat came closer, dying the healthy grass a brilliant shade of blood with every bound he landed.

Frozenwhisper stumbled to the side as the fox-cat raced past her. Soon enough the crowd of so many cats was upon her, tearing her to shreds under their unsheathed claws as if she really were the blade of grass. A yowl erupted from her mouth; she felt real pain, bloody pain, torturous pain. As soon as the cats had come, they were gone, past her, advancing.

The cats were lean, short-haired with long legs. They ran, never stopping. They ran so far. And Frozenwhisper watched them until she realized they were gone, and in their place was blood, blood and fur-clumps, flooding the once-green meadow. The red grass from the crowd's paws became drenched in the blood of cats, and Frozenwhisper was swept off her paws by a deluge of gore. Drowning, Frozenwhisper gasped for air, only to swallow red. Red was everywhere. Red was Frozenwhisper's sight, smell, sound.

As quick as the blood had flooded her, it drained, drained into the eyes of a specific young cat. Stormykit sat, thin, scrawny, short-haired, with tail laid across her paws, calm as could be. Her magnificent green eyes shone, the red gore pouring into them, as if it were simply light. After the blood was gone, the green glow intensified. Stormykit didn't flinch, not even her mouth twisted into a smile or a frown. Red from the grass dissolved as if it were a powder into the ground, and the glow from her eyes overpowered the grass, making it healthy and green again.

Finally, Stormykit stood, her tail in the air. Her ribs showed through her skin, and white fur was tinted gray. Frozenwhisper leaned in curiously. Stormykit was about 10 tail-lengths away, making it nearly impossible to hear her timid voice. Stormykit padded forward til she was 5 tail-lengths away, and sat down.

Her eyes widened to meet Frozenwhisper's. Without a blink, she chanted,

" _Wind shall sweep over the land_

_Led by vicious fox's hand_

_Everything will turn to dust_

_Unless storms wash it away._ "

With that, Stormykit disappeared with a flash of clouds and rain, and Frozenwhisper woke.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stormykit breathed heavily. The dream she'd had that night was a nightmare, of a flood. She was drowning, drowning, until she had sought air and found it.

Frozenwhisper, meanwhile, was out frantically gathering herbs. She knew that something bad was approaching, and Stormykit's words echoed in her mind.

Something horrible really was coming for WindClan. And Stormykit was a part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang this took forever. Anyway, I hope you liked it! ccc:


	5. Cleanly Cut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling very tired today, but I'm driven to write this! Enjoy!

Stormykit wasn't anticipating the explanation of why she woke in the middle of the night, breathing hard and gulping air as if she'd thought she'd never see it again. In reality, she really did think she was going to die. Panicking, Stormykit had tried to think of something to say, something to give to the water that would make it remember her. She could only think,  _my life. I will give the water my life._

Fortunately, that was not true. Given the fact that she'd never had a dream like that before, Stormykit handled it well. She'd had some dreams, fading now, that were just her chasing a rabbit or running through a strange field, but nothing as violent or as strange as this.

In other news, new-leaf was fast approaching and WindClan was finally able to catch enough prey for anyone. The skies had went from a frosty blue-gray to a healthy deep blue, sometimes a light cobalt. The grasses were growing back their green, matching Stormykit's eyes, and losing the brown color they'd taken on during leaf-bare. Animals finally returned to the moor, grazing and establishing homes again. For this, WindClan was glad. New-leaf was coming along nicely.

However, Frozenwhisper couldn't forget her dream. The prophecy echoed in her mind as if her brain were never there, and it was the replacement. Mindlessly she sorted the herbs, which was the daily routine for her, as she pondered how she would approach Foxstar on an apprentice.

Since his takeover, Foxstar hadn't been bad. He'd silenced a few cats before and refused to listen to them, but he hasn't murdered any cat. Frozenwhisper just was worried that he wouldn't listen, and when the time finally came she wouldn't have an apprentice to replace her in her duties.

"Frozenwhisper?" Fogpaw's curious tone entered her ears.

"Yes? Do you have an injury?"

"Yeah..." He seemed in pain, as if he was talking through clenched teeth. "I'll be right there."

As Frozenwhisper entered the main cavern of her den, she gasped. A huge, cleanly cut gash spread itself against Fogpaw's right foreleg. His light gray face was twisted in pain, and blood oozed from the cut.

"Dear StarClan, I wasn't expecting something like that! I'll get you fixed up, wait here, take a nest." With that, Frozenwhisper rushed to her stores and took marigold, poppy seeds, and cobwebs. After a second's hesitation, she took a bit more of the cobwebs.

"Alright, can you chew this up for me?" meowed Frozenwhisper, putting the marigold on the ground. "When it feels like paste, spit it out."

A minute later, Fogpaw spat out the marigold, licking his lips to get rid of the taste. Then Frozenwhisper smeared it on the gash, much to Fogpaw's distaste, and put the cobwebs on. She checked with her paws to make sure the cobwebs stuck, and then she took out three poppy seeds.

"Eat these, they'll ease your mind and help you sleep." That did it, and Fogpaw eagerly lapped up the seeds. He took a nest and fell immediately to sleep. Frozenwhisper would ask him what caused the gash as soon as he woke.

Stormykit couldn't sleep again, as hard as she tried. The flood plagued her mind, as much as she wanted to forget it. Finally Stormykit decided to do something to get it off her mind. Something that need concentration, focus, complete and utter attention...

Tree climbing. It was the first thing to come to her mind. There was a single tree in camp, a huge one that took all the water other trees could have used. Now, it was too big for anything else to grow, and it was one of the elders' favorite spots.

She approached it, remembering the times she'd climbed the cliff-face with Ferrethawk, and leaped up. Stormykit struggled for a clawhold. Finally, she found one, and shuffled to the side to avoid anyone in the nursery seeing her. Pawhold by pawhold, step by step, Stormykit reached the first thick branch.

"Hummmnnn..." Stormykit growled, keeping her eyes on the cats below. She gathered her power in her hind legs, crouched, and aimed for where she'd jump. With a snort and a leap, Stormykit pulled herself up to another branch that was nearly masked by leaves. The thought that this was dangerous had long abandoned her, and she pushed on, leaping from branch to branch, as they were closer now.

Soon enough, Stormykit was peering over layers of leaves into WindClan camp. Cats were filing in and out of the entrance, since it was dawn, and patrols were leaving. She avoided stepping on a bird's nest as she climbed back across the branches to the first branch.

And she lay there. And she thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Frozenwhisper woke a few hours later, despite her efforts to not have fallen asleep in the first place. Her immediate thought was to check on Fogpaw and see if he was awake, and then if he would tell her what did it.

"Fogpaw...?" Frozenwhisper asked around the corner of the den. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, I'm awake." Fogpaw answered. He seemed calm, lulled by the poppy seeds, as she guessed it hadn't worn off yet.

"Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened to your leg?"

"Yeah, it's just.." Fogpaw looked away, trailing off.

"What?" Frozenwhisper was panicked. This didn't seem good, let alone normal.

"Foxstar."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took even longer than last chapter, but I really wanted to write! Hope you enjoyed :D


	6. Heat of Sunlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for no chapters for the past two days, I had writer's block and then an orchestra concert x.x  
> I'll hopefully update more often after that!  
> Enjoy!

Stormykit woke and her head rolled to the side. She was tired, her eyes trying to blink out the strong sun-high light.

Fogpaw, Stormykit's new friend from her first day in camp, had been avoiding everyone for the past day. He was always in the medicine den, and hid himself from view a lot of the time. She didn't know what was wrong, but it was bound to be bad if the normally happy tom was being so shy.

In other news, the new-leaf sun was bright and hot, baking the WindClan grass and sand dry. Animals took advantage of it and gathered plants and berries while they could. The sky, a deep, clean blue, promised no clouds. Sun rays were strong, and with that, WindClan's cats were, too. However, water was scarce except for the pond in the medicine den, and one could often see cats trooping in and out with moss. The streams in the territory had nearly gone dry. No cat wanted to go so far in the hot sun for muddy water.

Stormykit hated the hotness. New-leaf had arrived too soon, and too warm. WindClan heated up like a fire in a meadow with a breeze. Cats could often be seen sharing tongues in the dens, as it was too hot outside. Mentors and apprentices went out to train normally, though, just with extra caution.

Willowmist smacked her lips together. "Now, kits, I have to- Honeykit! Pay attention!"

Honeykit was chattering with the other kits, Whitekit and Brittlekit, their mother being Snowbreeze.

"Now," Willowmist continued, with a glare at the social Honeykit, "since I am your mother I am obligated to tell you how to keep yourselves cool during the new-leaf and green-leaf moons. It's very hard to keep cool because you are in WindClan, and especially because it will be very hot out for the seasons."

Stormykit began to worry. Would she burn? Would she overheat? Have cats died like that before?

"First is to lick your forelegs. The sun will want the water instead of your coolness, so it'll help keep you cool. Second, drink a lot of water. Third, take many breaks if you're training. You don't want to tire yourself so much that you run out of water."

Honeykit began talking again, but Willowmist didn't seem to care. She'd supposedly finished her lecture on keeping cool and began to lick her forelegs herself.

"Well, Whitekit, whatever you say, I'll be a warrior before you! You can't take leader in our game!" Honeykit pouted. A snort from Whitekit set her over the edge. "Okay, fine! You want to be leader? Okay!"

Honeykit stormed out into the camp, ignoring Willowmist. The tortoiseshell kit turned her head a couple times, and then marched towards the medicine den, obviously coursing with anger. Pulling her head back into the den, Stormykit huffed and tossed her head. "I'm sorry, Whitekit, she's got a short temper. But she always apologizes. You'll see."

"She'll come back?" Whitekit, a pure white she-kit, three moons of age, timid and shy, questioning, had blue eyes.

"She'll come back, I swear. Now, if you want to continue your game, you can." Stormykit lately had become the mother of the kits, being both the most mature and the oldest. Honeykit was social, rough, and playful. There wasn't a single cat she didn't know, and they all seemed to love her.

Nightkit, now Nightpaw, was a laid-back tom, black as night with wing markings. He knew when cats felt bad, and tried his best to make them feel better.

Fogpaw was a nice gray tom with white ears. He understood boundaries and respected them, but if you made him angry, he would go all out.

Brittlekit was as timid and shy as Whitekit, a little light brown tom with a long, black tail. He also had blue eyes, a trait his family always had.

A single cloud passed over the sun, dimming the clearing for a few minutes at best. A few apprentices crept out to practice under the rare shade. Elders stayed in their den all day now, not risking a trip out. There was a busy apprentice who tended to their water needs all the time who could be seen rushing between the medicine den and the elders' den.

Stormykit sighed, peeking out. The tree rustled in the breeze, and sand particles were picked up and flown into the skies.

A normal day, she supposed.

The sun wandered across the sky and made its way past the horizon, dying the skies brilliant shades of orange and lavender. As the sand cooled down, Stormykit stepped outside to relish the cooling temperature before it was time for her to sleep.

Honeykit eventually came over and sat next to her beside the nursery. "I'm sorry about what I did... I need to apologize to Whitekit tomorrow."

"You do. She seemed hurt." That made Honeykit look guilty. "It will happen, though. You can learn from your mistakes."

"Okay... Well, I have an idea."

"Yes?" Stormykit's mind wandered. What did she mean?

"Can we adventure out of camp? I want to see the world. And I need you with me, sister." Honeykit lowered her voice.

After a moment of consideration, Stormykit nodded. "Okay, sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Bloodline of Wind and Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry I'm so lazy  
> I have so many excuses but I won't bore you with them  
> I'll bore you with this next chapter instead  
> Enjoy!

The heat sank into Stormykit's pelt, making it hard for her to move quickly.

She and Honeykit would need the most stealth they could get to pull this off. There was no way they'd be able to sneak in a bit of training, as cats would get suspicious. Nothing could hinder Honeykit's excitement and enthusiasm, no matter how pressing Stormykit was.

"You know, we could get caught..." Stormykit mewled nervously. The two kits were nearing their apprentice ceremony, something they had worked toward with patience. Neither one of them wanted to wait any longer, and if Foxstar saw holding them back from apprenticeship as a fit punishment...

"Oh, shut your muzzle. There's no one out in the heat, and we could go up the cliff to the Graves for shade and not get caught. We'll just climb over the leaf - or rather dead leaf - barrier, and out we go into the territory. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Stormykit considered this for a moment. The trip seemed really important to Honeykit, something she'd wanted to do for a while now, something she had overcome walls of patience to ask. While she thought, Stormykit glanced up at the sky. Clear gray, a cloud or two. Neither of the clouds were strong enough to block the sun if they passed over it though. Few birds and other flying animals were in the skies, but in the trees of ThunderClan, hiding in their nests until the heat wave rolled over.

"Okay. But we have to be careful. We need to be. If Foxstar finds us..." Stormykit trailed off, and Honeykit replied with a soft snort. "He's too obsessed with plotting in his den to notice a couple of kits sneaking out of camp!"

Stormykit nodded. "Let's go. Quickly." She trotted over to the cliff-face, staring up at it with wide eyes.

A memory wrapped itself around her, of Nightkit and Stormykit touring the camp. His tail was pointed at the space above the drop-off, with Stormykit staring up at the rock as if she thought she'd never climb it. A feeling passed over her, as if she knew that this wouldn't be the last time it would happen.

She did just that as she searched for a pawhold. Honeykit scrambled beneath her, looking up to find a good path. Soon enough, both cats were panting with the effort they exerted while climbing. The hot sun had burned into their pelts, taunting, laughing, dancing.

"Now." Honeykit whispered harshly, and they leaped over the weak barrier of long-dead dry leaves. Stormykit glanced at Honeykit, who was darting past a clump of dying heather, and followed. The running drained her senses, and soon enough her gait was faltering. Thankfully, Honeykit had stopped near a hill, and was hiding in the shadows of an overlying cliff.

"That was tiring..." Stormykit sighed, letting the cool shadows sink into her fur. She savored the moment while it lasted, before Honeykit stood again and coughed. "I want to explore everything. The entire territory. I've had dreams, Stormykit, dreams of me running, bounding endlessly through these grasses..."

Stormykit thought a bit. She hadn't had any dream like that, no, but she had had dreams about feeling free, feeling protected, safe. "Okay. Go when you want, I'll come with you."

Honeykit left immediately, peeking around the corner of the small dip in the hill and nodding. "This way." She bolted out of the shade, tortoiseshell pelt gleaming in the strong sun, tail trailing behind her and ears perked for any noises. Stormykit followed, trying to copy her, as if she wanted to feel the probable free ecstasy that Honeykit was feeling. Nothing better was there than the feeling of cool wind in your fur and the subtle burning of well-worn muscles through your body. It felt perfect. Felt right.

Honeykit's next resting spot was under a tree, leaves still thriving strangely. She looked over the hills, her tortoiseshell pelt dimmed by shade and dappled by leaf-shadows. Now was when she could savor her WindClan heritage the most, her bloodline of wind and dust. Honeykit loved this, loved the cool breeze blowing through the moor, loved being WindClan.

Stormykit's mind was blank. Her screaming muscles pleaded for food and water and rest, but they wouldn't be answered. Nothing could be heard through the wind.

Finally, Honeykit dashed out of cover again toward the ThunderClan border. Thin, scattered trees dotted the border, and they became thicker inside of it. The trees were beautiful, yellow leaves waving in the air, calling.

"Wow..." Honeykit slowed to a trot, gazing along the ThunderClan border. Stormykit pushed Honeykit into a shallow dip in the ground as soon as she heard a voice.

"I swear to StarClan, once I catch Mousepaw and Stormpaw, they're crowfood! My daughters should be home by now!" A red-brown tailtip, supposedly from the owner of the rough, raspy voice, flicked through the trees. A head poked out to gaze along the border, white, long fur with the same red-brown of the eartips. The cat sniffed, narrowing her eyes at the two kits in the grass.

"Crystalstar, come! We haven't got all day! Those cats in your camp really are impatient!" A cat who looked like Midnightstar from the nursery tales popped his head out next to her, and Crystalstar smiled, touching her muzzle to him. She had softened in a heartbeat, the ThunderClan leader. The stories never told her as soft, only grouchy but efficient. Weirdly enough, the tales also said that Crystalstar, leader of ThunderClan; Midnightstar, former leader of MidnightClan; and Jaystar, leader of MoonClan, were brother and sisters. Midnightstar and Jaystar were siblings by birth, but if one analyzed the family tree, Crystalstar was a second sister to them both.

Midnightstar smiled happily in response. "We've still gotta catch that vole you wanted, love! Not much time left!" Midnightstar leaped away into ThunderClan's territory, followed by Crystalstar a heartbeat later.

"That was sweet..." Honeykit replied a beat later, voice dazed by fear and astonishment. Stormykit agreed, the two were lucky to have each other. But as her mind wandered to herself, she instantly thought,  _no. I can't think that, that would be selfish of me... To see others' love and think about myself..._

No matter how hard Stormykit tried, she couldn't stop thinking. Would she find someone like that for her? It seemed impossible at the time, they were only kits!

Honeykit squirmed beside her. "I'm tired. There should be, what, a den or hollow nearby? By chance, at least.." She whispered. A nod from Stormykit confirmed that they were able to move now, and Honeykit crept toward a rather large mountain. It towered high above any hill she'd seen, even the cliff at camp. There were bound to be small caves or abandoned dens...

"Ah!" Honeykit sped up toward a medium-sized hole in the ground on the base of the mountain, and she pointed at it with her tail. "Seems like a good place to rest, right?"

"Yes." Stormykit replied, peering into the hole. It was dark, concealing cool air that would certainly freshen them up. She didn't bother to smell the den, for it had sounded, looked, and felt abandoned.

Honeykit crawled inside first, and then Stormykit. They both sighed with content at the cold, damp air inside the den, a refreshing feeling flooding their few remaining senses.

A long, dreadfully threatening, extremely soft growl could be heard. Honeykit froze, immobile, staring into the darkness. The other sister stopped as well, eyes darting about the cave. Roars erupted from the shadows, two of them, and Honeykit squealed and scrambled to get free. They were stuck, though; Stormykit had tripped on a rock and it slid with her down to the cave. it blocked the entrance, the granite cold and unforgiving.

Stormykit searched through the mess to find another exit while scrabbling to dodge claw and tooth to stay alive. Honeykit's wails echoed through the den, screeching, screaming. She found an entrance, Stormykit flattening her ears to block part of the painful noise. She ran out, two grown foxes shooting after her. Those were the only two in the den, as she had felt.

Bounding through the grass, Stormykit approached a stream. With a leap, she bounded over it. The foxes, however, hadn't seen it coming, they were so interested in Stormykit. They fell into the river-like stream and were washed down toward the lake.

Until now, Stormykit hadn't thought of Honeykit since she had left the den. The race for life had consumed her mind, blocking out any other thoughts. Quickly, she raced to return to the den and hopefully find Honeykit alive there.

Peering inside, Stormykit watched for any signs of life. She felt for Honeykit, and after feeling fur, pulled her out into the sun.

Stormykit's mouth opened in a soundless wail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this made up for it... I made it extra long :D  
> Thinking about writing something with Midnightstar and Crystalstar, an entirely different fic, perhaps.  
> Please let me know if you want one about them, I really enjoy their relationship and rping it :D and maybe writing it will be even better <3  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Thin Trail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty bored so I'm going to write  
> Enjoy!

Stormykit's green eyes widened with panic and grief.

Honeykit was dead, breathing stopped and dull eyes clouded over. Time slowed, allowing Stormykit to think so much faster. What would cats at camp say? What would she say? What would Willowmist think? But most of all, she was worried about her sister.

"She's up in StarClan now..." her raspy voice echoed in the den nearby. "Why did StarClan take her? Did she deserve it?" Stormykit's anger grew.

"You should have taken me! Not her...! Honeykit..." Stormykit choked with sadness. All of the thoughts Stormykit had imagined about their future, ceremonies, hunting trips, adventures with just the two of them... All wiped away by a single claw of a fox.

Blood flowed freely from a deep cut from the middle of her shoulders straight onto her forehead. The once wind-ridden fur was now clumped with drying blood, and her eyes open, clouded, dull. Stormykit looked at the gash for a moment, thinking. Then she leaned down, touching her muzzle softly to the grass, and dragged one of her forelegs up over her head.

She unsheathed a single claw and stuck it into her pelt. Stormykit knew this would hurt, knew it would bleed and sting, but she didn't care. All she wanted was a reminder, a memory of Honeykit. And that was injury.

Dragging her claw through her skin, she opened a cut exactly like the one Honeykit had. Her life was dark, she realized. Too dark for the average kit. All a normal kit wanted was a friend and to be a warrior, but now all Stormykit wanted was her sister.

Grief flowed through Stormykit's veins, her heart pumping corrupt blood out of the cut she herself had made. With one last glance toward ThunderClan's territory, Stormykit picked up Honeykit's limp body and began to carry it home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

"Foxstar."

Frozenwhisper stopped, confused. Foxstar? How did Foxstar manage to hurt his own Clanmate, an apprentice? And it looked like such a clean cut that it was intentional....

She said nothing as Fogpaw fidgeted. "He... he said I wasn't... mean enough... wasn't good enough t-to battle..." This deeply depressed Fogpaw, as if it were a burden on his shoulders. He seemed to be so pressured by what the older cats thought of him...

"Mean enough? WindClan cats aren't supposed to be held to a standard of which they're mean... Fogpaw, don't listen to him. He may be your leader, but he may be like Owlstar. Don't listen to him."

Fogpaw nodded. "I'll try, Frozenwhisper. And I'll try to keep my head held high no matter what!" He grinned despite his pain. "Good," replied Frozenwhisper, smiling as well. He was a smart apprentice, knowing when to lighten the mood and when to make it serious. Frozenwhisper thought for a moment. It was a good trait for a medicine cat, but she knew Stormykit was the one who was destined to fill that role.

"Fogpaw, stay right here. If anyone's looking for me, tell them I'm out. Thanks."

Fogpaw opened his mouth to protest, but closed it after Frozenwhisper turned around. Her tail whisked out of the den, and he assumed she was in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Fogpaw thought to himself as he was alone in the medicine den. He thought about the cats in WindClan, the good and bad, ambitious or timid, weak or strong. Ultimately his mind settled on one cat. Stormykit.

He liked Stormykit. Not in a love way, he was too young for that yet. But he wanted to be her friend so bad. Stormykit always seemed so cold, alone, in contrast to her popular and friendly sister. Being friends with her would be a nice thing to do, both for him and for her. Of course, if she didn't want to be friends, that was okay. Fogpaw was a smart cat, and he knew when he crossed boundaries.

Fogpaw sighed. He'd try eventually. A squeak at the mouth of the den alarmed him, until he saw it was Whitekit. "Oh, uh, Frozenwhisper's not here right now.. Sorry Whitekit.."

Whitekit nodded in despair. "Brittlekit's hurt... I'll wait for her." She sat in a nest in another room of the complicated cave. Fogpaw began to wonder about how Frozenwhisper found her way around the den.

At the same time, Frozenwhisper searched for the two missing kits. Panic had settled in her stomach, tugging and aching. A voice, unsure whose it was, had whispered a message to her that Stormykit and Honeykit were missing. By the time Frozenwhisper found a trail of thin blood, she had nearly given up. Stormykit could be seen not far away, dragging Honeykit behind her, her own pelt soaked in blood. She tripped over Honeykit several times.

"Stormykit!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this really quickly so it is kinda short and bad.  
> I hope you enjoyed! :D


	9. Story-Telling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY  
> I have many excuses but I will not name them as I will probably bore you so here you go  
> Enjoy!
> 
> **warning there is blood, gore, and a lot of death in this chapter, so if that upsets you please do not read it**

Stormykit turned her head, wincing at the striking pain.

Frozenwhisper's mouth gaped open. She traveled the trail of the kits' blood and picked them both up, her heart feeling like a deadweight. The taste of blood contaminated Frozenwhisper's tongue, and she shivered. No way, no way.

Quickly, she carried them both to camp, legs aching with age and exhaustion. Some cats stared, as a little bit of blood dripped down Frozenwhisper's forelegs and onto the hot sand. The ground had cooled down a bit, now, and cats were leaving and coming out of and into the camp, taking advantage of the little time they had while their paws would not burn.

Frozenwhisper placed the kits down on two separate nests so that she could treat them. Cobwebs and a poultice were her first priority, and Honeykit was losing more blood first, so she fetched herbs and chewed them up. Her crooked and old teeth clenched a bit with fear. Nothing she had ever seen before had been like this, even during the cruel times of Owlstar. Two kits, both injured, coming from the corners of the territory was unthinkable!

As she padded to Honeykit, who hadn't moved since she had been found, a thought struck Frozenwhisper. Why hadn't she moved?

A quick check-over confirmed she was dead. Stormykit passed out just then, probably from blood loss, so she used the poultice on her instead. She set out some thyme for her to eat later. Realization washed over Frozenwhisper. Honeykit was dead, the sweet, sociable kit she had grown on, the friendly kit that would love to help her whenever she could, the dead kit in a pool of blood in her den...

Wailing, Frozenwhisper dashed to the nursery. Something was wrong, something was so wrong. Willowmist wasn't going to take it easily, Frozenwhisper knew that, and she would have to be convinced. Frozenwhisper forced down the vomit she felt in her throat.

"Willowmist? I...I need to talk to you." Her voice was kept steady, and Willowmist, with a fallen face, padded out to meet her. "Yes...?"

"Something's happened, and I don't know if you'd want to see it. But your kits both escaped camp this morning, and they didn't come back in great condition." Frozenwhisper maintained her tone, she was used to having this talk with the mothers of hurt or dead cats or even kits. Willowmist narrowed her eyes. "What happened, exactly?"

"Stormykit and Honeykit went out. I don't know what they did, but when I found them, Stormykit was dragging Honeykit back, both with identical gashes running from their foreheads to the middle of their shoulders. They're both in my den now."

"Great StarClan!" Willowmist screeched, tail between her legs.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stormykit's mind wavered, the medicine den gone. A dream was built before her half-lidded eyes. Clear and cool, a forest raised tall above her. She was untouched, the cut gone, the white and black fur of her pelt spotless. ThunderClan, it looked like, from her memory of the journey. Crystalstar appeared before her from seemingly nowhere, the underbrush of the thick deciduous forest waving with the wind and not her presence.

"Little one, I have heard much about you." Her tone was soft, unlike the grouchy and crotchety cat she'd heard of when Fogpaw had returned from the Gathering one full moon. This was completely different.

Stormykit's green eyes widened with fear yet curiosity. What was she here for? She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Crystalstar laughed, a clear, ringing laugh that echoed through the small clearing they were in. "Don't be worried, small kit. No one is watching us, it is just you and me."

"I... Why am I here...?"

Crystalstar smiled. "That's what I expected to hear. Nothing to be ashamed of, Stormykit. I have tales to tell you so that you will be prepared for your future."

Story-telling? That was better than a scolding, Stormykit guessed, and she sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. "Now, we shall travel back to when Owlstar was leader and when Frozenwhisper was a mere medicine cat apprentice to Wildfur."

The scene changed as Crystalstar sat beside Stormykit. WindClan's camp morphed into flattened grass instead of sand, with less nests out under the shining stars, and less cats. A group of cats, all big and mean-looking, were grouped at the tree she had climbed, sharpening their claws. The other cats looked afraid of them as they went around them to leave camp to hunt. An elder hobbled out of the nearly deserted elders' den, a clawmark that looked like a huge X on his left hip. He grabbed a single scrawny rabbit from the freshkill pile and ran back to safety in the elders' den. One of the big cats snarled at him from where he was standing.

Owlstar, a brown and black-flecked large tom with hazel eyes and long claws and fangs, stood on the Graves a watched over his Clan. He seemed proud, beaming his teeth at the cold sun.  His deputy padded up to meet him, a young Sappystar named Sappytail. She was a light brown cat, nimble, with green eyes. They talked for a moment, and then Owlstar flashed his claws at her and she left, head drooping.

"Our story starts with Owlstar's reign and his Heart. No, not his real heart. This Heart kept a fake peace and order in WindClan, as they killed any useless or disloyal cats. You saw there, that elder with the X on his hind leg hip? That was the mark of the Heart. He would be dead in the next seven days."

Stormykit's mind raced. WindClan was corrupt under Owlstar! "Now, don't be alarmed. Owlstar is dead now. But while he was alive, he tortured and killed, set killing maneuvers as a basic lesson to an apprentice. All of the cats knew how to take a life with a flick of a claw. Most of them are dead now, but Foxstar was born in just enough time to learn these moves before Owlstar died."

Crystalstar shook her head. "Many cats died at the paws of the Heart. They would obey Owlstar only, seven cats that trained only in fighting and killing. They were the strongest of the strong, the most cruel of the Clan. If one failed to kill when they were supposed to, they would be killed by the others and thrown out to the crows. Then, Owlstar would choose another to be trained as one of the Heart."

Now the Heart was lined up in front of Owlstar, and one of them stepped forward. His head was down, tail dragging on the ground. Owlstar yowled a word, presumably 'Attack!', and the Heart was upon him. Soon enough, Owlstar was dragging the corpse of the dead Heart out of camp. He left it there, and a few crows crowded around it, picking at the fur.

"Oh my StarClan..." Stormykit took it all in. This was the most gory thing she had ever heard or seen.

"He died as he lived in battle, his last life ripped from him by an ambitious Heart. She was killed, of course, by the others, but the Clan was thankful. One of the elders survived death because of her. Her name was Lostcloud, forever known as Owlstar's killer and WindClan's savior. She, however, was sent to the Dark Forest. It is sad, how she saved a whole Clan but she could not be forgiven for what she did, was forced to do. I'm sure you have heard of the Dark Forest before, and I will not go into detail."

Stormykit nodded, blinking.

"It is time you woke up, little kit. Remember what I have told you, and use it to help your Clan."

With a nod, Stormykit closed her eyes and opened them to WindClan's medicine den.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes some background of WindClan!  
> I hope you enjoyed :D


	10. The Heart Beats Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i am back now with some inspiration so here you go  
> Enjoy!

Frozenwhisper sighed. "Willowmist, Honeykit's dead. Stormykit is alive, but in critical condition. I'm so sorry, Honeykit was gone before I found her. Stormykit can be saved."

Willowmist calmed down a bit, ears flat and eyes wide. "Please, please take care of Stormykit. She's the only one left..." She lowered her head, obviously remembering and grieving for Honeykit.

"Don't be anxious, Willowmist. StarClan will surely accept her into their ranks. She was a good kit while she was alive, and will continue to do good in StarClan, I assure you. And I swear on StarClan that I will save Stormykit. I won't disappoint you."

A faint smile could be seen on the devastated mother's face. "Thank you," she whispered, and wandered off in the direction of the nursery, though there was nothing waiting for her there. Frozenwhisper's heart sank at the sight of the lonely she-cat, but she turned her head anyway. The medicine den seemed empty from the clearing, only Stormykit and an aching elder were in her care at the time. Something in Frozenwhisper's stomach told her she needed food, so she took a couple small rabbits from the fresh-kill pile.

Tough-looking and huge, a she-cat padded to Frozenwhisper. "Why are you taking all that prey? Us warriors need some, we're the most important!"

Frozenwhisper snarled, "No cat is the most important. I'm sharing these with the two other cats in my care, they need food to heal!" The cat snorted. "We need energy to hunt!"

"Hush. I'm taking these and you can't do a thing about it. Go catch your own rabbit if you want one; I have things to do other than hunting." Thankfully, the cat left after Frozenwhisper's last words, scowling.

The medicine cat quickly returned to her patients and gave them each half of the rabbit she had argued with the she-cat, named Palefur. Frozenwhisper ate one rabbit herself, for she was hungry. Stormykit had returned to her mind and was slowly nibbling away at the half-rabbit, still half asleep.

"Eat, Stormykit. You need your strength," Frozenwhisper murmured, "you'll need a lot of it."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dreadheart stalked up to Foxstar's den, his X-scar on his hip aching as he went. Pebbles fell from the path and into a little pool below, spraying a bit of mist onto the sandy shore. The sky was yellow-orange with promises of a nicely moon-lit night, and a few cats gathered outside of the camp to watch the sunset. His old bones burned with the effort of climbing, and he looked back one more time. This new-leaf had burned through the pelts of the WindClan cats, and green-leaf didn't have any hints of being any cooler. With a rasping sigh, Dreadheart turned and entered the den.

"Foxstar, I need a word with you. We may have to b-"

Foxstar snarled. "Did I say you could enter...? Ah, well. Speak anyway." Dreadheart nodded, and took a breath. He might get killed for this, as he was nearly killed so many moons ago.

"We need to bring back the Heart of Owlstar's time. This green-leaf is going to be hard, and wasting food on useless cats isn't going to help WindClan survive."

Thinking for a moment, the WindClan leader's mind wandered. The Heart had done a lot for WindClan, and, as he thought, they had done good. "That's actually a good idea. I will gather my seven Hearts tomorrow. You may live, and I will tell them the same."

"Thank you, Foxstar. I am happy that the Heart is returning, so that WindClan will be strong yet again." Dreadheart dipped his head and left the den, crooked teeth bared in a grin that could kill.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the morning, cat after cat went out to hunt before the hot sun rose beyond the horizon. Foxstar, muscles rippling under his fur as he leaped off the Highrock, looked around for his first choice cat-- Palefur. Palefur was a strong and opinionated she-cat with a white and gray pelt who knew what to do and when, so she was his first choice. He was also going to make her deputy sometime.

Second, Foxstar chose Tawnyclaw, Stormykit's father and Willowmist's mate. He had a tortoiseshell pelt and a quick mind and claw. He followed orders without question, and Foxstar needed a cat like that. Foxstar's third choice was a cat named Sparkfire, a black-and-white she-cat with long claws and a short temper. If he needed, she would go on a suicide mission without question.

His fourth cat wouldn't be a strong one, but a smart one. He would be good to strategize with when the time came. Vinefang was his name, and his pelt was gray, with light brown splotches. The fifth cat was indeed strong, nearly as big as he himself was. The sturdy tom, named Timberfall, was a dark brown cat who couldn't be stopped in battle. His claws were long and sharp, and he would listen to orders all the time.

The sixth cat, a white she-cat named Shiningheart, was usually cutesy and fun, but when it came to fighting, she could kill in an instant. The last cat was a she-cat, average but unusually smart. She was a black cat except for a gray spot on her left eye. Her name was Wolfstep, and she was quick to think and could make up a strategy mid-battle.

Foxstar had gathered the three toms and four she-cats in his den. It wasn't crowded, though, for his den was huge.

With a toothy grin, Foxstar announced to the seven cats, "You've all been chosen to be the Heart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooooooooh man  
> this is really getting intense >:D  
> i hope you enjoyed!


	11. Curious Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well here i am again  
> my computer broke and i got it fixed a week ago but i had no inspiration to write then so  
> I'm going to make this chapter really long to make up!  
> enjoy! :>

Palefur, Tawnyclaw, Sparkfire, Vinefang, Timberfall, Shiningheart, and Wolfstep stared in surprise at their leader. However, six of the cats thought this a good thing, and one did not. Foxstar decided to continue anyway, swinging his head around to gaze at all of the cats he had gathered. "I will tell you the job of the Heart, as you may not remember from the noble Owlstar's time."

"First, you will be trained by me to kill and to fight. You are WindClan's top skilled cats, and I expect you to be able to take this training and use it in any way I tell you. Second, you must listen to me and me only. I don't care if you have to kill your mate. You do as I say." Foxstar stared into Tawnyclaw's shielded eyes, making a point of that rule. "Third, when I say one of you has to mark a cat, I mean make an X-cut on their hip. Frozenwhisper will not be allowed to heal them."

"For the fourth rule, there is no resigning. You are stuck to the Heart for the rest of your life. And, finally, fifth: Disloyal members of the Heart are killed. Do you all understand?"

Foxstar set his eyes on Vinefang, who stood in defiance. Maybe his so-called 'smarts' weren't in the best interest. "There's no way in StarClan I'm going to serve as one of your kit-toys! I don't want to kill any cat, I don't even care if you kill me!"

WindClan's leader sighed. "Stay there. Now, Heart, the way you do this is that you rip him apart and leave him to the crows."

Without hesitation, the other six leaped on Vinefang, ripping and tearing at his fur and flesh. Patches of gray and light brown flew all over the den, and soon it reeked with the scent of freshly-spilled blood. A wail was cut off as Shiningheart stood with his throat in her jaws, chest sticky with red blood and eyes bright with adrenaline. The last of Vinefang's body was a bloody pulp. The Heart began to drag him out of camp, earning many strange looks and terrified cries from the cats of WindClan.

When the Heart returned, Foxstar had already chosen another member of the Heart to replace him.

That new member was Ferrethawk, and they already could see the bloodlust shimmering in his yellow eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Frozenwhisper tended to Stormykit with utmost care, giving her thyme to calm her nerves and even catching prey for her. Her health was on the rise, and Willowmist was grateful. However, she had passed six moons, and Frozenwhisper had already gotten permission from Foxstar to have her as an apprentice. It took a while, but he agreed on the condition that they had to catch their own prey.

Fogpaw had healed a few days before and left to go sleep with the apprentices again. He seemed very grateful for the help, and just as biased against Foxstar as she herself was. He was a cruel leader, they both thought, with unnecessary violence. She hoped they weren't alone.

"Stormykit? Are you fit to walk yet?" Her shoulder blades had hurt like a nightmare whenever Stormykit tried to stand or walk. Recently it was getting better, and her ceremony was today, so Frozenwhisper wanted to get her there safely.

The small green-eyed kit stood and began to walk, her eyes widening with every step. "I... I can! I can!"

"Don't get too excited and hurt yourself, though. I have a surprise for you outside." Frozenwhisper smiled.

"Really?" Stormykit turned with a wince, but it didn't last long. The curiosity in the kit's eyes made Frozenwhisper's heart melt. Stormykit had been through so much that she seemed like an elder, but really she had retained her feelings. The old medicine cat silently applauded her. That was a feat nearly no cat could achieve, even through death and hurt and failed adventures...

Out on the Highledge in WindClan camp, Foxstar stood, looking down at his Clan. He opened his mouth and yowled, "All cats fast enough to catch their own rabbits join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Slowly, cats began to gathering in the clearing of the camp, whispering to each other about what it could be. Stormykit traveled out with Frozenwhisper, much to the delight of the Clan cats, happy that Stormykit was finally on the move again.

"I have called you here today for many reasons. First, I would like to announce the death of Honeykit. She was a friendly and sociable kit, and we all mourn her death. Tonight we hold vigil." To this was a reply of sad murmurs and many cats' heads drooped for a moment.  "Second, Stormykit must be made an apprentice. However, Frozenwhisper has come to me to ask if she may become her apprentice, and I accepted. Stormykit, do you accept the honor and responsibility of becoming a medicine cat apprentice?"

Stormykit's eyes widened at the request. She glanced at Frozenwhisper, who smiled, and she turned back around to Foxstar. "I do."

"Very well. You will travel to the Moonpool tonight, for tonight is half-moon, and let yourself be judged by StarClan." Cheers erupted from the crowd of cats, calling Stormykit's name, as they couldn't at the Moonpool.

"Thirdly," called Foxstar loud enough to silence the cheers, "I have brought back the Heart. They will begin training tomorrow."

The once-happy mood of the cats turned to a terrible silence filled with worry. Foxstar continued, "I have chosen these cats for the Heart. Please stand if your name is called."

"Palefur." The she-cat stood proudly, gazing around at all of the cats.

"Tawnyclaw." Willowmist gasped in fear, but Tawnyclaw's face remained hard and unforgiving as he looked at his mate.

"Sparkfire." She was often labeled insane, so the few cats around her shuffled away a bit.

"Timberfall." Muscles rippling, the tom stood, and his mate blinked in confusion.

"Shiningheart." The usually fun she-cat snarled at all of the cats around her, actually looking like she could kill. Ashfire, her mate, gazed at her but saw nothing in her eyes.

"Wolfstep." She stood, smiling softly and gazing up at Foxstar.

"Ferrethawk." Stormykit froze in fear. Her very inspiration would be training to kill, and he looked like he was going to  _enjoy_ it... _  
_

"These are the cats I have chosen, please sit down now. One last thing. I have needed a deputy for a couple of moons now, and I am glad to say that I have found one. I say these words before the StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of WindClan will be Palefur!"

Palefur stood and smiled. "I accept the honor of deputy. I will serve my Clan in the best way possible, I swear on StarClan." To this, Foxstar nodded and replied, "I trust you. Let it be known that Palefur is the new deputy of WindClan!"

The calls of the Clan were loud but uneasy. Palefur accepted the cheers, though, as she knew she was in power over them all.

Frozenwhisper nudged Stormykit. "It's better we leave now."

Stormykit, still frozen in fear from Foxstar's message, had completely forgotten. "To where?"

"The Moontree. You're going to see StarClan, Stormykit. And they will see if you are fit to be my apprentice. We have to leave now, or we won't get there in time!"

Stormykit nodded and turned her leaf-green gaze to the entrance of camp, heart racing and blood roaring in her ears.

It was going to happen, and it was going to happen now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoooooooooooooooooooo  
> my letters are jumping everywhere so I'm sorry if I messed up a word haha  
> i hope you enjoyed!


	12. The Start of a Tyrant (Bonus Chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the bonus chapter I mentioned in chapter 3, Foxstar's ceremony!  
> It will probably be very short, I am sorry.  
> Enjoy!

Foxtrot beckoned Frozenwhisper toward him. "Come on, medicine rat, we don't have all moon."

Frozenwhisper sighed, tired from checking Sappystar over and gathering the herbs. Her mind was still on the sign about Stormykit, the wild and desperate storm illusion around her, as if StarClan was urgent... She'd have to mind that later when she had time to herself, preferably in her nest with no sick cats needing tended to.

"Yeah, okay. We can't eat anything before the journey, so let's leave now before we get too hungry. The Moontree is far from WindClan territory, all the way on the other side of ThunderClan's. We can't waste any time." To this, Frozenwhisper left camp immediately, followed by Foxtrot who didn't seem too pleased.

The journey was hard, the near-frozen dirt picking at the two cats' paws until they had rubbed them raw. WindClan camp was in the center of its territory, so the cats had to travel far to the Moontree. Idle chat was soon quenched by the sinking feeling of cold wrapping around them, and leaf-bare had stolen just about every cat's happiness. Until they reached ThunderClan's border, it would just get colder and the air thinner, no living plants to give air.

"This is the border for ThunderClan. Quickest way's around the back of it, so we're going to have to trace the border until we reach unknown territory."

Foxtrot nodded hesitantly. He didn't like being led around too much.

The two WindClan cats started the journey up the WindClan-ThunderClan border. They didn't get far before a ThunderClan patrol showed up, slightly angry. Frozenwhisper recognized one warrior named Risingsun, a dark gray she-cat with white paws and amber eyes. She was often a messenger between the Clans, because she caused no trouble and was loyal.

Foxtrot opened his mouth to speak but Frozenwhisper cut him off. "Hello, Risingsun. We're passing over your territory because we need to get to the Moontree. Sappystar is dead, and we need Foxtrot here to take her place."

"Of course," Risingsun nodded, "also, we would be glad to bring you through the territory to get you to the Moontree faster. It won't be long until dusk, and navigating through night is hard for the both of our Clans." She had to step on the paw of a small apprentice, a brown tom, to stop him from leaping at the WindClan cats.

"Thank you, we accept your offer." Frozenwhisper cut off yet another protest from Foxtrot.  _He's too proud for his own good._

Risingsun told her patrol to split up and hunt and return to camp at dusk while she led them through the bare trees of ThunderClan's territory. The sky was clear and frosty against the deep, dark brown of the tree branches. It didn't feel right to Frozenwhisper, though, she felt more at-home with the open sky and running space.

Risingsun stopped at the border of a huge clearing. "I can't take you any farther. This is the territory of StarClan, and may StarClan light your path."

"You as well, Risingsun." Frozenwhisper dipped her head and took Foxtrot into the clearing of the Moontree. The grass here was healthy, as if it was normally fed with life, and the tree in the middle reached up toward the sky with ancient branches old as life itself.

Frozenwhisper stopped in front of the tree, looking up at a hole in the front. The moonlight was pointing toward it, filling it with a frosty blue color. The wisps of blue began to spread all throughout the bark in the Moontree, flowing and running like blood. Light flowed from the tree into the night air, scented like fresh water and clean air mixed into one. Foxtrot's eyes widened, he'd never seen something like this, but he kept his guard and looked unimpressed again after a few seconds.

"Press your nose to the tree and lay down." Frozenwhisper set an example, and Foxtrot followed soon after.

-*-

Foxtrot opened his pale amber eyes to a vast field of grasses and shimmering, starry cats lined up in front of him. Some he knew, some he didn't, some he still mourned over.

One cat stepped forward, her thin frame shifting and short brown fur bristling in the breeze. "Foxtrot, my deputy. You have come to receive what has been entitled to your name, and we are here to give it to you. This life that you are living now is no more. The nine lives that we have here are what will replace the now empty shell of your former self. Here, now, you will become a leader of WindClan."

Foxtrot tried and failed to step forward. Instead, the former WindClan leader stepped forward and rested her muzzle on his head. "With this life I give you reassurance. Use it to let your worries go and to lead your Clan decisively."

A smooth, watery feeling brushed past the large tom, soothing him. Sappystar stepped back and another cat stepped forward. "Speckledheart..." The voice echoed in his mind, although he'd never seen this white and black speckled she-cat before.

She stepped forward, and her high, cutesy voice rang in the air. "With this life I give you caring. Like a mother to her kits, you must love all the members of your Clan equally." What Foxtrot was expecting wasn't the intense feeling of need and urgency that washed over him. His fur spiked, and it took a moment for him to calm down before she stepped away.

A third cat, a burly russet tom padded toward him. Foxtrot recognized this tom, a friend from when he was an apprentice, but when they'd become warriors they were attacked by a badger family and he had been killed. He laid his muzzle on his head, and the cat, called Redthroat, spoke in a low voice, "With this life I give you passion that I didn't have, so that you may overcome every obstacle you meet with a whole heart and mind." A sense of rage spiked up in Foxtrot, and then it settled down to determination inside him. Redthroat retreated back into the ranks of StarClan.

The fourth cat was Foxtrot's mother, Silentwater. She was killed by the Heart because of uselessness in Owlstar's time, but she loved Foxtrot so much. Resting her head on her son's, she spoke softly, "With this life I give you forgiveness that I was not given, to love all and to let life live." A soft feeling wrapped around Foxtrot, soothing and giving him a break from the pain he'd felt earlier. His mother left him for the last time with a whisper, "I love you, my son. Goodbye..."

The fifth cat stepped out, and Foxtrot had to bend down to let him rest his head upon his own. A kit, his own brother named Swiftkit, had died at the paws of greencough. He seemed completely healthy now. "With this life I give you strength, so you can overcome even the worst of sicknesses and obstacles." A surge of electricity swirled in the air around Foxtrot and seeped into him, making him feel like a caged lion or a leaping cougar on the rocks of a lone mountain. When it was done, Swiftkit trotted back to their mother's side, and his eyes seemed to yowl,  _"I'm proud of you!"_

A sixth cat tumbled forward, his name being Starlingpaw. He'd been running around the territory when he ran off a cliff in his confidence. Foxtrot had watched as the poor apprentice fell to his death, wailing and yowling. He rested his head on Foxtrot's head and said, "With this life I give you courage. Use it to push yourself forward in life and to lead your Clan with progressiveness." This life felt like wind and sand blowing through his fur, wearing him away until he was a piece of sand himself. Starlingpaw rolled away into the line of starry cats.

The next cat seemed old, and walked to the younger cat. Her name was Sweetwhisker, although he didn't know her. She rested her old head on his head and spoke loudly and clearly, "With this life I give you love. Lead your Clan with all of the love of a mother to her kits." An intense siren sounded in his head, and Foxtrot's fur bristled with readiness. Sweetwhisker turned and left, but as she was walking away, she faded to the brink of invisibility, and with one last glance at Foxtrot, she was gone.

The eighth cat was his father, named Wildberry. His death was of oldness, and he had died peacefully in his sleep. He rested his head on his son's and said, "With this life I give you freedom, so that you may lead your Clan with a fair mind through life." The air that seeped into him now was one of pure freedom, of fur waving in the wind of an eternal grassland. Wildberry left him to sit by his mate.

The last cat was a large she-cat named Scorchflight. She had died at the paws of her own mother, as she was abused for her entire life, even past apprenticehood. She rested her tired head on his head and snarled into his ear, "With this life I give you the gift of ferocity. Rule your Clan as you want it." Waves and waves of anger and fear and hope and rage passed through him, and the StarClan cats seemed to be statues as true ferocity settled in his heart. With a snicker, Scorchflight returned to the lines of StarClan cats.

Sappystar stepped forward yet again and began to speak clearly to Foxtrot. "I hail you by your new name, Foxstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of WindClan _._  Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity."

The StarClan cats chanted Foxstar's new name over and over, filling the air with sound and life. When they were done, one by one, they walked into the now-starry sky and blended in with Silverpelt's stars.

Foxstar woke with Frozenwhisper already awake beside him. "Do not speak to anyone about what you have just seen. I know it is tempting, but abstain. We must go home now."

And so they did, Frozenwhisper with a new leader, and Foxstar with a new Clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was not short at all o-o  
> That was fun to write though!  
> i hope you enjoyed!! :D


	13. Journey to the Moontree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took a little break to advance with art !!  
> here u all go

Stormykit had eaten the travelling herbs in a matter of seconds, too excited to notice the bitter taste of the leaves. Frozenwhisper waited at the entrance of camp, watching the birds fly through the air, the wind pulling at their wings, urging them farther. The sky was still on the very edge of day and dusk, the sky still up and bright and blue but not for long. The small black-and-white kit trotted up to Frozenwhisper and their journey began.

"It's a long way to the Moontree, Stormykit, but I believe you can do it. If you get tired, I'll carry you," the old medicine cat explained, and Stormykit nodded, hope in her wide green eyes. The two cats pulled themselves up a large hill that was a good hunting spot known throughout WindClan. They sat for a while, gathering the breaths they lost while climbing, and began again.

The terrain was more friendly for most of the way, but there were a few rough spots where Frozenwhisper carried Stormykit through, such as tangles of growing grasses. One particularly sour ThunderClan patrol delayed the trip a little bit.

Shadesong, a black and gray ThunderClan she-cat, stepped towards the two WindClan cats. "Why are you here, and why with a kit?" She snorted, obviously not going to wait for a reply. "Well, whatever it is, you're a medicine cat. Go on, whatever."

Her apprentice, a white tom with brown patches, spat at the two cats across the border. Shadesong looked down at him with approval, and then she turned and padded away. Frozenwhisper searched the small apprentice's eyes, and they were full of fear.

Stormykit's ears flattened as the apprentice, Mudpaw, turned and followed his mentor back into the flowering trees. "Were those ThunderClan cats?"

"Yes, Stormykit." Frozenwhisper replied. "They're not always the kindest. Then again, no Clan is pure. Not even StarClan." To this, Stormykit's eyes widened. Her memories were displayed in front of her...

_"I swear to StarClan, once I catch Mousepaw and Stormpaw, they're crowfood! My daughters should be home by now!" A red-brown tailtip, supposedly from the owner of the rough, raspy voice, flicked through the trees. A head poked out to gaze along the border, white, long fur with the same red-brown of the eartips. The cat sniffed, narrowing her eyes at the two kits in the grass._

_"Crystalstar, come! We haven't got all day! Those cats in your camp really are impatient!" A cat who looked like Midnightstar from the nursery tales popped his head out next to her, and Crystalstar smiled, touching her muzzle to him. She had softened in a heartbeat, the ThunderClan leader. The stories never told her as soft, only grouchy but efficient. Weirdly enough, the tales also said that Crystalstar, leader of ThunderClan; Midnightstar, former leader of MidnightClan; and Jaystar, leader of MoonClan, were brother and sisters. Midnightstar and Jaystar were siblings by birth, but if one analyzed the family tree, Crystalstar was a second sister to them both._

_Midnightstar smiled happily in response. "We've still gotta catch that vole you wanted, love! Not much time left!" Midnightstar leaped away into ThunderClan's territory, followed by Crystalstar a heartbeat later."_

Stormykit's eyes watered a bit at Honeykit's memory, but she shook her head and dismissed the thought. Frozenwhisper looked at the small kit questioningly, but Stormykit did not return the gaze, so the old medicine cat trotted further up the border with Stormykit trailing behind her. _  
_

"Now, Stormykit. We're going into ThunderClan territory. If we encounter any unfriendly cats, I'll handle it, okay?"

"Okay," Stormykit replied, narrowing her eyes in a gesture of bravery. "I'm ready to take anything to be a medicine cat and serve my Clan. Even if my Clan is falling."

Frozenwhisper looked down at the determined kit, the small, skinny, weak, but determined kit with pride in her eyes. "Let's go."

The two WindClan cats trekked into the trees. It didn't take them long to reach the Moontree, as it wasn't too far from the WindClan border. A huge clearing interrupted the thick undergrowth, and the flowering trees opened up into a meadow of healthy grasses and exotically beautiful flowers.

The Moontree, with gnarled roots and bark old as time, was the centerpiece of the clearing. The ancient tree seemed to have veins that funneled the bluest water through the trunk and branches, and the green, glowing leaves were blooming gorgeous blue and pink flowers whose petals showered down into the meadow every time there was a gust of wind.

Stormykit bristled as her senses were overthrown by the heavenly scents of the Moontree that seemed to wrap around her and comfort her. Frozenwhisper's voice cut into her ears like a knife.

"Spiderfeather, Ferretpaw, Morninglight, Twilightpelt, Tigerfur... This is Stormykit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well sorry about that month and a half guys oops  
> kind of a short chapter cause i wanna work on animating or art in general a little bit more  
> i swear the wait won't be as long this time ok
> 
> i hope all yall enjoyed


	14. Fox Marks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lied. its been 2 months and 4 days  
> i'd give a long list of excuses except i'd be stalling the chapter so here u go
> 
> note: i always write beginning chapter notes before i even write the chapter so if u see me promising something in one i'll probably have forgotten by the time i finished the chapter oops
> 
> P.S. gonna shake up the med cat app ceremony a bit

Stormykit's eyes widened and her ears flattened as the rest of the cats, all bigger than her, stared at her. She wondered whether they saw a promising medicine cat apprentice or a weak kit tagging along with their new mentor. The rest of the medicine cats seemed friendly enough, though, save for Spiderfeather. He just grumbled and turned toward the Moontree. Judging by the gray hairs on his muzzle and the way his legs trembled as he took steps, Spiderfeather wasn't the youngest cat in the territories.

"W-welcome, young S-Stormykit...!" The cat who seemed to be Ferretpaw, a sandy brown and black splotched she-cat, purred. That initiated friendly meows from the rest of the medicine cats, and Stormykit stood a bit taller on her nimble legs.

Energy coursed through her veins as the true realization gripped her. She was about to share words with StarClan! Chills made her tail tremble in its place, sticking out striaght behind her. Stormykit's wide eyes directed their attention to Frozenwhisper, who nodded toward the tree. "We have introduced you, now we must wait. The moonlight will strike the highest branch in some time, and then you will see the real wonders of StarClan."

Stormykit blinked in reply, heart twisted in knots because of a whirlwind of emotions. Anxiety, eagerness, anticipation. She reassured herself that everything was going to be okay. Maybe Honeykit would be there. Calm washed over the small green-eyed kit. She loved her sister, even if Honeykit wasn't with her anymore. She knew she was watching over her. And Stormykit was proud.

The moonbeams filtered into the clearing, and a small ring of birds gathered around the treeline to watch the Moontree come alive with even more blue than before. As the light hit the highest branch, Stormykit could see the blue water flow through the tree, spreading out like vines. The knarled roots somehow looked more alive, and the leaves and flowers flourished with health.

"It's time." Spiderfeather rasped, tailtip twitching. He stepped into the field, Tigerfur and Ferretpaw close behind. Twilightpelt and Morninglight followed, and then Frozenwhisper and Stormykit last. She had a hard time keeping pace with Frozenwhisper, but that certainly didn't stop her.

"Lay your ear against the tree, and StarClan will put you to sleep so that you may dream." Frozenwhisper murmured into her ear. With a nod, Stormykit obeyed, falling asleep after a few seconds with thoughts about Honeykit in her mind.

**************************

Stormykit woke in the training field of WindClan. How she knew that, she didn't know. Her senses, lulled by the split second of sleepy darkness, were overflowed by bird chirps and the sound of the wind ruffling her ear fur. Frozenwhisper stood next to her, calm and collected. Then she moved, her black and white pelt rippling in the sunlight. Frozenwhisper's voice echoed in her mind, even though she hadn't opened her mouth. 

_Come with me._

Stormykit obeyed, her thin legs picking their way through the grass. Finally, the short, padded down grasses of the middle of the training field came under Stormykit's paws. She was relieved, and heaved a sigh, but then Frozenwhisper turned around to face her. Her near-mentor looked healthier and younger in the dream.

"Stormykit, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" She blinked, as if asking for a response.

"I do." Stormykit replied, eyes unblinking in hidden excitement.

"Then come forward." The kit stepped forward, looking down to make sure her footing was steady.

"Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice." With this, Frozenwhisper turned around to look at the terrain in front of Stormykit. This terrain was filled with starry cats, few who Stormykit recognized. They were all from times when she wasn't around, and that fascinated her. Once she caught Honeykit's eyes, she tried to call out to her, but all that came out was a choking sound. Stormykit trembled with emotion, and Honeykit's eyes displayed every drop of love she couldn't say in words.

"She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." Frozenwhisper stepped back behind the new apprentice, and the entirety of StarClan bore their eyes into hers. As one, they chanted, "Your name, from now until you receive your medicine cat name, is Stormypaw."

Stormypaw felt energy flow into her limbs as her name was given to her. StarClan was truly amazing, and Stormypaw was elated that she would be able to share dreams with StarClan every half-moon.

The chanting began. One voice separated into countless voices, voices of kits and voices of elders, and voices of the many in between. "Stormypaw, Stormypaw, Stormypaw, Stormypaw!"

She closed her eyes and drank in the chants. This was the beginning of her new life as a medicine cat, she thought. Stormypaw forgot all of her problems and let herself drift off. When she opened her eyes again, the chanting had stopped, and a smiling StarClan blinked out to its territory. Frozenwhisper's voice cut into her ears.

"Wake up, wake up, Stormypaw!" She whipped around, but Frozenwhisper wasn't there. Instead, a fox-marked cat with bloodred eyes and long claws stood in her place. It snarled, seeming to shake the earth underneath her paws. Stormypaw's first instinct was to run, to hide, as memories from Honeykit's death flooded her mind. Her paws were rooted in place, so as the fox-cat lifted its claws, all she could do was writhe and screech, hoping to wake up and-

Stormypaw's eyes shot open, taking in her surroundings. She was at the Moontree, while Frozenwhisper and the rest of the medicine cats looking down on her. Their faces clearly expressed worry, even Spiderfeather. Stormypaw's green eyes darted around at the cats.

"Like I said, Tigerfur, I woke up but she didn't and she was writhing around on the grass. What happened, Stormypaw?" Frozenwhisper looked down at Stormypaw and sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. "Don't worry, it's over."

Stormypaw swallowed. "There was a f-fox-cat, but with red eyes and huge claws. And I... I tried to run and hide, but my paws were stuck. I couldn't move, and then it raised its claws, and it... I..." She didn't have the determination to finish the thought.

"It's okay, S-Stormypaw. We should all p-probably go back t-to our Clans now..." Ferretpaw half-spoke, half-whispered. A murmur of agreement rose from the other medicine cats. Goodbyes were exchanged quickly, and so Frozenwhisper guided Stormypaw home.

All that rested in Stormypaw's mind now was a mental image of Honeykit's eyes, sisterly love shining brighter than the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp. hope u liked it  
> im trying to incorporate some sisterly love here. if yall make it like elsa/anna i s2g
> 
> anyway no promises about chapter in-between time this time around. sorry bout that guys
> 
> kit signing off B)


	15. Breaking and Forming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no explanation for this
> 
> happy holidays, here's a chapter B)

When Stormypaw stepped inside the camp for her first time as an apprentice, a few heads turned. Willowmist was one of them, and her mother trotted over from where she was sharing a rabbit with Tawnyclaw.

"My little kit, how you've grown! You'll make WindClan proud, and you've already made me so proud too..." The she-cat licked her kit's ear. Stormypaw shook as Willowmist withdrew her tongue, smiling.

"Thank you, mom. But I'm not sure it'll be that easy..." Stormypaw trailed off, nervousness lacing her tone. Frozenwhisper approached, having heard Stormypaw's remark, and waved her tail.

"The path of a medicine cat is never easy, but with practice your skills will be unmatchable. Stormypaw, you've proven brave enough to travel all the way to the Moontree and back to become my apprentice. I have faith in you," the old medicine cat purred, and Stormypaw curled her tail. "Really?"

"Of course. You're the best cat for the job, isn't she, Willowmist?" Willowmist nodded, "Yes, so she can take over whenever you're in one of those naps you take every day."

All three cats purred with laughter and Frozenwhisper flicked her ears. "Willowmist, it's time you return to Tawnyclaw. He doesn't look very happy you abandoned him..."

Willowmist glanced back at Tawnyclaw. "Oh, yes, I should. Thank you, Frozenwhisper, and Stormypaw, I'm so proud of you!" With that, the aging mother bounded back to her mate and sat down again. Tawnyclaw's growl was audible from across camp.

"Why're you leaving me for those slackers? You know better, Willowmist. Medicine cats are useless, warriors are the ones who to all the work," he snarled, ears flattened. Willowmist was taken aback, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean? The whole of WindClan would be dead without the guidance and healing of our medicine cats!" Willowmist bared her teeth, blue eyes ablaze with anger.

"And our daughter chose the path of a useless mercygiver! I can't believe her, the path of a warrior would raise Stormypaw better than one of a medicine cat," Tawnyclaw growled, tailtip flicking. An apprentice nearby took his vole and moved to eat with the other apprentices, keeping a close eye on Tawnyclaw lest he lash out at him.

"No, I can't believe _you_ , Tawnyclaw. I've loved you for all these moons, we have kits, and you aren't even proud of her! I can't stand to _look_ at you, you heartless beast!" Willowmist yowled. The birds that were perched in the camp's only tree took flight towards ThunderClan territory.

"I don't want to be your mate anymore, Tawnyclaw. Our paths are separate, no longer intertwined. Take the rabbit, I don't want it." Willowmist looked down at Tawnyclaw with disdain as she stood and stalked away. Tawnyclaw stared after her, his eyes showing not love, but hatred deeper than any ocean.

His gaze flicked to Stormypaw, and the latter looked away and flattened her ears. Leaf-green eyes reddened with the presence of tears. "I never knew this about him..."

Frozenwhisper laid her tail on Stormypaw's shoulder. "He's wrong, Stormypaw. You're valued by every other cat in the Clan. WindClan needs you just as much as any other cat."

Stormypaw lifted her eyes to Frozenwhisper's comforting gaze and smiled. "Thank you, Frozenwhisper. I'm proud to be your apprentice... I need to tell Fogpaw and Nightpaw!"

The young apprentice nodded to her new mentor and bounded off to her friends. "Nightpaw, Fogpaw! StarClan accepted me as a medicine cat apprentice!" Stormypaw's smile shone with all of the light of the stars as her two friends smiled.

"Congratulations! It's about time Frozenwhisper got an apprentice." Nightpaw meowed, licking Stormypaw's cheek. Fogpaw grinned and laughed, "Yeah, and I'm glad it's you! I'd be worried if any other cat were treating my wounds after a battle."

Nightpaw and Fogpaw glanced at each other and whispered a few words. After a couple of heartbeats, Nightpaw nodded and Fogpaw smiled. What was that in his eyes?

"Stormypaw, can we tell you something? And can you keep it a secret? Not every cat would be pleased to know this..." Fogpaw gazed straight into Stormypaw's eyes, seemingly searching for any signs that she may betray what they were about to say.

"Of course, you can tell me anything!" Stormypaw waved her tail. She meant it, and she let it show in her eyes.

Nightpaw took over and leaned in. He whispered, "When Fogpaw and I become warriors, we're going to become mates." Fogpaw nodded excitedly, confirming what Nightpaw had said.

"I'm so happy for you two! You'd be the best couple!" Stormypaw whispered back, and the relief was visible in the two toms' eyes. The three purred in unison, and the chirp of a cricket interrupted them.

"We'd better go sleep, we need energy," Stormypaw meowed, to which the toms nodded. "Good night!" Nightpaw purred, and Stormypaw watch the two toms pad towards the apprentices den, tails twining.

Stormypaw turned to face the medicine cat den and watched Frozenwhisper's black and white tail disappear inside. She relaxed, and padded inside to her new nest. Frozenwhisper purred as Stormypaw curled up in the new, soft moss.

However, the fox-marked cat had not escaped her mind; the dream-gone-wrong had plagued her, claws glinting and teeth stained with the blood of innocent cats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOORAY FOR GAY WARRIOR KITTIES!
> 
> seriously i love fog x night. seriously. seriously
> 
> anyway no promises again, you all know what happened last time i said that.  
> happy holidays <3


	16. Thrilling Starts and Bitter Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah... dang it...
> 
> never trust me to update regularly. it doesn't go well.
> 
> here yall go

Stormypaw gasped as her eyes flew open. Nothing but the mellow scent of the medicine den and the muted sounds of night greeted her senses. Flattening her ears, the young she-cat sank deeper into her nest, the nightmare that had played in her head over and over only seconds before wiped from her memory. Frozenwhisper twitched in her sleep, but other than that, Stormypaw's small panic attack had not elicited any other reaction.

After a few deep breaths, the newly appointed apprentice rose from her mossy nest. She shook her tail free of any clinging scraps and padded quietly out into the medicine den clearing to watch the sunrise. Orange melted into pink as the sun climbed above the horizon.

The small apprentice watched as the WindClan camp came to life slowly before her eyes. A couple members of the Heart could be seen looking over the camp from the camp wall, and Stormypaw saw her mother stalking towards the fresh-kill pile. Mentors and apprentices went out to train, and the dawn patrol was assembled and sent out. Frozenwhisper did not wake up until late morning, and when she did, she padded out to Stormypaw.

"Good morning, Stormypaw. How long have you been awake?" Frozenwhisper asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"Since dawn. It's no problem, though, I feel well-rested," Stormypaw lied, bringing her tail to cover her paws. Frozenwhisper nodded, laying down beside Stormypaw and beginning to wash her unruly fur.

"Anyway," the older cat began, "We're going to start your medicine cat training today. I'll teach you some basic herbs, and then we can start with how to apply them tomorrow. Sound good?" Frozenwhisper paused her washing to look questioningly at Stormypaw.

"Yeah. I'm really excited, Frozenwhisper," Stormypaw couldn't continue the sentence, but her mentor understood and went back to washing her pelt. Stormypaw's gaze wandered again, this time settling on Fogpaw and Nightpaw, who were sharing a rabbit by the apprentices' den.

A small purr escaped the young cat's throat at the sight of the two together. She remembered their announcement to her the previous day and was overcome with happiness at the two of them. Nightpaw caught her eye and smiled, his face practically shining with love. Stormypaw smiled back, overjoyed.

Suddenly, a troubled wail broke out near the camp entrance. Stormypaw's ears pricked up, and Frozenwhisper sat up immediately. An apprentice hobbled through the camp entrance on three legs, trying to keep her left foreleg off the ground.

The apprentice's mentor entered after her, looking concerned. He rushed ahead to speak to Frozenwhisper.

"She's got a thorn in her pad, could you get it out?" The wiry brown tom requested, and Stormypaw's mentor nodded. The poor apprentice finally caught up and stumbled into the medicine cat den at Frozenwhisper's direction. The old medicine cat followed her in, Stormypaw at her heels.

"Flowerpaw, what happened?" Frozenwhisper asked gently.

"I was hunting near the ThunderClan border, chasing a r-rabbit, and I stepped on a thorn..." She stuck her paw out, and a thorn was clearly visible piercing the center of her pad. Frozenwhisper turned to look at Stormypaw and beckoned her closer.

"Watch and learn, Stormypaw," Frozenwhisper mewed, and took the thorn in her teeth. Flowerpaw whimpered softly, escalating to a pained yowl as the medicine cat yanked the thorn out with her fangs. Flowerpaw began to lick up the blood oozing slowly out of the small wound.

"Good, keep licking it. Try to keep it clean until it heals as well, Flowerpaw. Stormypaw, do you understand what I just did?" Frozenwhisper meowed. Stormypaw nodded in response, going over the steps in her head.

Flowerpaw and her mentor left the medicine den, the apprentice looking much less pained than she was before. Stormypaw's mind whirled with the simplicity of it all, healing a cat didn't take so much complicated work all of the time. Flowerpaw, a big cream she-cat with ginger stripes, turned and waved her tail at Stormypaw, mouthing the words  _thank you._ Stormypaw beamed and waved back, glad that she would be able to do the same as Frozenwhisper one day.

Frozenwhisper beckoned with her tail to follow her into the herb store. The two cats squeezed into the small space, and Frozenwhisper began her lesson crouched over small piles of leaves, berries, and seeds.

"First things first, this is marigold. When a warrior is injured in battle, you use this to keep infection out of their wounds. It's also a component in several poultices, yes?" She looked into Stormypaw's eyes. The apprentice nodded, interested.

"Good. Next, these are poppy seeds. Yes, the small, dark ones. They send cats in pain to sleep. No, not death. They numb pain as well, and are very useful if a cat is in a lot of pain."

Stormypaw absorbed the information with interest. She stored the herbs and their uses in her mind, because she knew it would be vital to remember them throughout her life.

"Here's catmint. It's vital to-"

A loud yowl erupted from the clearing, and Frozenwhisper rushed past Stormypaw to see what had happened. Of course, the apprentice followed closely behind her mentor as they emerged from their den.

Willowmist was crouched with a look of fury in her eyes. The receiver of this was Tawnyclaw, Willowmist's former mate and Stormypaw's father. Tawnyclaw spoke loudly and stood tall as he looked around at the ring of cats who had gathered to see what was going to happen.

"This elderly cat has no use to WindClan anymore. I declare, with the approval of Foxstar and with the support of the Heart itself, that Willowmist be marked with the X of the Heart. This decrees that she be eliminated within seven days," Tawnyclaw grinned with the teeth of a monster.

Stormypaw's heart skipped a beat. Eliminated? Useless? Her mother was going to be killed! She tried to rush forward and confront her father, but Frozenwhisper held her back with a grim look on her face.

Willowmist yowled, "This is outrageous! Never have I seen such a traitor to StarClan! Killing an innocent warrior of your own Clan? Are you all insane?" She looked around for support, but only received shuffling paws and wavering gazes. Willowmist turned to her former mate, snarling.

Tawnyclaw leaped first. He tackled Willowmist and tore shreds of fur out of her pelt. However, the she-cat had some fight left in her, as she fought back with all of her might. The two cats wrestled on the sandy ground of the camp clearing for what seemed like hours but was, in reality, a few minutes. At last, Tawnyclaw appeared on top, pinning Willowmist down against the ground.

He took one claw and created the X mark across her hip. She whimpered in defeat, and Tawnyclaw left her and stalked into the warriors' den. the ring of cats began to dissipate, tensions high and whispers silent to the ears of those who were too far away to hear.

Stormypaw was silent in grief. Frozenwhisper let her apprentice out of her grasp and she ran to her mother's side. Willowmist was laid down, exhausted, defeated. When Stormypaw settled down beside her, she spoke three words Stormypaw would never forget.

_"I'm sorry, love."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i made it sad
> 
> i appreciate any comments <3


	17. Midnight Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i havent updated this in like 10 years

"Willowmist, I can't believe they'd do something like this..." Stormypaw breathed shallowly, still shaken up. Willowmist sighed softly, tail dragging along the sandy ground a bit as she moved. She winced in pain, blood oozing out of her mark. It broke Stormypaw's heart to see her mother, once beautiful and graceful, reduced to a simple target of the Heart to be killed within a week.

Stormypaw made a decision, narrowing her eyes. "We have to get you out of here, mother," she whispered, not loud enough for any cat other than Willowmist to hear. Her mother's ears perked up in disbelief, her eyes wide.

"No, no, we can't do tha-"

"We will. I don't want you to die here, like this. We'll leave tonight and you have to leave and never come back or they'll kill you for sure." Stormypaw meowed firmly. Willowmist knew by her tone she wouldn't budge, so she nodded in defeat.

"Okay... We'll leave tonight, then. Let me rest first, though, love. I'll need to be ready." Willowmist dragged herself to her paws, tail limp, and tried to pad to her nest. However, once she touched the moss, Timberfall yowled at her to get away from it. He pointed with his tail to the elders' den, snarling. Willowmist growled quietly and made her way to the elders' den, receiving a couple of concerned looks from other cats.

Stormypaw padded back up to the medicine cat den, making eye contact with Frozenwhisper. The old medicine cat breathed in sadly, understanding the emotions behind Stormypaw's eyes. The apprentice padded past her mentor and entered the medicine den. She took a look in the herb store, naming the herbs she'd learned, and then ducked into the cave where her nest was.

She curled up tightly, squeezing her eyes together, wishing for night to come.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Stormypaw blinked awake to moonlight filtering through the den's entrance, casting a ghastly glow on the stone floor of the den. She remembered her promise to her mother and rose, making sure not to wake Frozenwhisper. Padding silently past a couple of injured cats, she pushed her way out of the den and looked down towards the elders' den. When she saw a flash of blue eyes, she rushed down to meet her injured mother.

"It's time." Stormypaw whispered to Willowmist almost silently. The old she-cat blinked in understanding and followed her daughter when she padded to the camp's entrance, glancing back at her former home one last time before she trotted to catch up with the black and white apprentice. Stormypaw raised her head as her mother padded up to walk beside her, already slightly out of breath.

"How far do we need to go?" Willowmist asked quietly, turning her head to face Stormypaw. Her daughter sighed, feeling her heart pull with sadness. "As far as we'll need to to keep you safe, mother."

The older cat nodded and they padded on in silence. The night was dark but lit slightly by moonlight, stars shining tauntingly above their heads. Was StarClan really there, watching as one of their descendants was forced to flee from their Clan? Stormypaw tilted her head back and gazed up to the stars, but they just shone dully, and so Stormypaw's head drooped.

At last, the two crossed the WindClan border into loner territory. The medicine cat apprentice quickly headed into the nearest fern plant and washed away her WindClan scent, her mother doing the same quickly. Being traced out here by a WindClan warrior would be terrible. Even worse, if a member of the Heart found them out here...

Stormypaw shook the thought out of her mind and beckoned Willowmist with her tail. Once she was sure the older cat was following her, they ventured deeper into the forest, feeling strange from the lack of a breeze winding its way through her fur. It made her feel quite empty.

When the moonlight began to fade and the very edge of the sun peeked over the horizon, the two she-cats came across a hillside in the middle of the forest. A closer inspection of the hill revealed a cave in the side, and Willowmist stepped inside.

"It's empty except for a few dead leaves and prey bones... Doesn't smell like anything's lived here recently..." She noted to herself, the noise amplified by the stone walls and echoing out of the den. Stormypaw blinked, vivid memories of Honeykit flooding her mind. "Okay, just... Be careful."

Willowmist poke her head out of the den. "I think I could live here. Live out the rest of my days, you know," She mewed, eyes not showing any hint that she was joking around. Stormypaw inhaled and nodded. "You know best for yourself, mother. I know they won't find you here."

The sky began to glow a deep blue of the pre-sunrise dawn, signifying to Stormypaw that she had to get back to camp as quick as she could. Birds in the trees surrounding the two she-cats started their morning songs, strangely somber with the mood.

"Mother..." Stormypaw padded forward, eyes pressed shut, a clump forming in her throat. Sadness gripped her as she brushed muzzles with her mother for the last time. The older she-cat purred to try to cheer Stormypaw up, but only succeeded in making her sadder. When they parted, Stormypaw gazed into her mother's eyes, seeing only love and sadness reflected in the blue irises.

"You need to go back to WindClan before they begin to suspect you of something," Willowmist sighed, melancholy lacing her voice. Stormypaw nodded, knowing if she spoke too much, the words would only ruin her more. So she decided on three simple words to say farewell to her mother.

"I love you."

Stormypaw turned to leave, tail dragging across the grass. Her ears were flat against her head, and her head sunk between her shoulders. Willowmist sat in the mouth of her new den, watching her daughter pad away, back to where she could have died. When Stormypaw reached the treeline, she glanced back once, seeing an image that would be imprinted in her mind forever.

Willowmist sat with her tail wrapped around her paws, a small smile on her face, ears half-down. Her x-scar was clearly visible. Her eyes shone with the light of the fading stars of the night. A small breeze tugged at her fur and the grass around her, creating an illusion of peace Willowmist would otherwise never have.

Unable to stand the pain of separation, Stormypaw's paws flew over grass as she sprinted towards WindClan territory, certain she wouldn't make it before dawn but preparing excuses of why she was gone in her head. Hunting? No, she's a medicine cat. Gathering moss? That's a task usually warrior apprentices do. Gathering herbs before dawn? Maybe, but Frozenwhisper's not a fluff-brain. Lazy, yes, but not stupid.

As the clouds were dyed magnificent hues of orange and pink during the sunrise, Stormypaw crossed the WindClan border and laid down, needing a break. Once she felt rested, she went on a journey to find the most herbs she could before returning to camp. She found quite a few the herb store needed restocking of. She padded back into camp, head held high and herbs in her jaws.

When she padded into the medicine cat den, the snores were a telltale sign that Frozenwhisper was still asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Stormypaw sorted the herbs she had gathered and curled up in her nest, muscles sore from all of the running she had done. Her mind raced, but she was tired.

With a sigh, Stormypaw's eyes drifted closed and her mind wandered into a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehheheheh

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :DD


End file.
